Barcelona vs Osasuna. Spanish La Liga.
Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi on target but dethroned La Liga champions are beaten at Nou Camp; Alexis Sanchez on target as Inter Milan close gap on Juventus in Serie A
Friday 17 July 2020 07:48, UK
Lionel Messi gave an outspoken interview after Barcelona's reign as La Liga champions came to an embarrassing end as 10-man Osasuna pulled off a shock 2-1 win at the Camp Nou wih a stoppage-time goal on Thursday.
Having struggled since La Liga restarted in mid-June following the new coronavirus outbreak, the defeat left Barca on 79 points, seven behind Real Madrid with one game left, and the loss prompted an angry broadside from Messi.
"We didn't expect to finish in this way, but it sums up the year for us. We are a weak team who can be beaten with enough intensity and enthusiasm," the Argentine told Spanish TV.
"We have lost a lot of points which we shouldn't have done. We have been very inconsistent.
"We need to be self-critical, starting with the players, but also across the entire club. We are Barcelona, and we are obliged to win every game."
Visitors Osasuna took the lead when Adrian Lopez set Pervis Estupinan free with a clever pass down the left, and his ball into the box was drilled into the bottom corner by striker Jose Arnaiz in the 16th minute.
Messi equalised for Barca with a sublime free kick in the 62nd minute after Luis Suarez was fouled just outside the box, but Osasuna overcame the sending-off of Enric Gallego to snatch a winner through Roberto Torres in stoppage time.
Atletico Madrid beat Getafe 2-0 away in their penultimate La Liga game on Thursday to continue their relentless run of form since the season returned after the COVID-19 break.
Marcos Llorente put Diego Simeone's side in front early in the second half before substitute Thomas Partey scored in the 80th minute, sealing Atletico's seventh win in 10 matches.
Third-placed Atletico, who had already sealed a top-four finish and qualification for next season's Champions League, moved on to 69 points after 37 matches, two ahead of fourth-placed Sevilla who drew 0-0 at Real Sociedad.
Getafe, who had midfielder Allan Nyom red-carded in added time, are seventh on 54 and face a close fight with Valencia and Granada to cling on to the final Europa League berth.
Elsewhere, Leganes grabbed a 2-0 win at 10-man Athletic Bilbao to send their relegation battle to the final day of the Liga season as Mallorca were relegated following a 2-1 home defeat by Granada on Thursday.
The victory left Leganes third bottom on 35 points, one behind Celta Vigo, who lost 3-2 at home to Levante. Leganes play champions Real Madrid on Sunday while Celta take on relegated Espanyol.
Elsewhere, Deportivo Alaves secured a 2-1 away win over 10-man Real Betis to climb to 15th and ensure they will play in Spain's top flight next season. Joselu and Rodrigo Ely scored the goals.
Inter Milan eased past bottom side SPAL on Thursday, winning 4-0 away to move second in Serie A and close the gap on leaders Juventus to six points with five games left.
Forward Alexis Sanchez continued his revival as he set up the first goal for Antonio Candreva in the first half and added the third himself on the hour. Cristiano Biraghi and Roberto Gagliardini scored the other goals.
Antonio Conte's Inter have 71 points from 33 games while Juventus, chasing a ninth successive title, have 77.
Inter have slashed five points off the difference between themselves and the Turin side in the last three games. SPAL have 19 points, 11 adrift of the lowest team outside the drop zone, and look doomed to Serie B next season.
Elsewhere, Bremer, Sasa Lukic and Andrea Belotti were all on target in a 3-0 win for Torino at home to fellow relegation-threatened Genoa, moving them eight points clear of the drop zone. Genoa sit one point and one place outside of the bottom three.
